Vito Barbieri

Vito Barbieri is a Republican member of the Idaho House of Representatives representing District 3 Seat A, which covers Dalton Gardens, Hayden, and portions of Coeur d'Alene in Kootenai County. Barbieri has served continuously in the Idaho House since 2010 — approximately 16 years by 2026 — including District 3A 2010 to 2012, District 2A 2012 to 2022, and District 3A again since redistricting. He is running for re-election in the May 19, 2026 Republican primary against challenger Eric Seeley. The general election is November 3, 2026.

Background

Barbieri practiced law in California for approximately 20 years after earning his J.D. and moved to Idaho in 2004. He has operated several small businesses including a catering business and an electronic cigarette and vape store in Post Falls, as described in his biographical profile. He has served for more than a decade on the board of Open Arms Pregnancy Care Center in Coeur d'Alene.

Political Career

Barbieri was first elected to the Idaho House in 2010 and has been re-elected continuously since. He has chaired the House Environment, Energy & Technology Committee and has served on Business, Ethics, House State Affairs, and earlier Revenue & Taxation and Local Government committees, as documented by Ballotpedia.

Policy Positions

Barbieri's campaign website describes his three core themes as "Defending the Constitution," "Limited Government & Fiscal Responsibility," and "Faith and Family First," with a slogan of "Keeping Idaho Free." Published positions include: "Abortion is NOT a form of birth control and, like any other murder, should be a crime." He has described public schools as "a godless institution" that has "excluded the Bible, Prayer, and even the Ten Commandments," and called on Christian parents to withdraw their children. He supports school choice, transferring federal lands and water control to the state, immediate deportation for undocumented immigrants encountering government systems, opposition to tax increases "at every level," and the position that "gun rights are not negotiable." In 2026 he introduced House Resolution 27 and related legislation that would largely close ethics proceedings and related documents to the public after an Ethics Committee finding of probable cause. He voted for House Joint Memorial 1 urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its Obergefell v. Hodges same-sex marriage ruling.

Political Alignment

Barbieri is Idaho Freedom Foundation-aligned. The 2025 Idaho Freedom Foundation Freedom Index scored Barbieri at 84.1 percent (B grade) on the freedom side and 70.9 percent (C-) on the spending side. He has been endorsed by Idaho Freedom PAC. In 2015, during debate on a telemedicine abortion-restriction bill, Barbieri asked an obstetrician witness whether a woman could swallow a small camera that would allow doctors to perform a remote gynecological exam — an exchange covered by The Guardian, CBS News, the Idaho Statesman, and Boise State Public Radio. Barbieri later described the question as a deliberate rhetorical device.

Campaign and Endorsements

Independent expenditure filings on the Idaho Sunshine portal show approximately $1,339 in 2026 support for Barbieri from Kootenai County Republican Central Committee and Bonner County Republican Central Committee. He has been endorsed by Idaho Freedom PAC. His 2026 Republican primary opponent is Eric Seeley, a former pastor and business owner. Idaho EdNews has documented that Citizens Alliance of Idaho PAC, which operates in the same Idaho Freedom Foundation-aligned lane that supports Barbieri, draws substantial out-of-state money including a $450,000 transfer from a Virginia-based federal affiliate and Pennsylvania gaming-related sources.